Guarded
by FLUFF-N-UTTER-1
Summary: Abby looks out for Jack, herself, and others. Abby back story. Brief mention of Mrs. Lester and Connor's Mum. (Starts 0.4 spans time to 6.3)
1. Watch Out

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

0.4 Guarded

Abby couldn't remember much from her early childhood… or she wouldn't let herself remember much.

Her parents had married too young.

They'd had kids too young, when they weren't ready to be the adults in any relationship, let alone the parent child relationship.

Soon after Jack was born, her parents got divorced. All Abby knew is that Daddy wasn't at home anymore.

Sometimes, they got to see Daddy… but Mummy didn't like his new friends. Daddy didn't like Mummy's friends either.

Abby remembered the yelling.

One time, Mummy and Daddy yelled so much that they all had to go to the big stone building downtown and talk to the man there. The magistrate told Abby that Mummy's and Daddy's weren't really supposed to yell at each other, but she didn't believe him. The man told her parents they should meet in public places… whatever that meant.

So they began meeting Daddy at the bus stop. Mummy would put Jack in the pram, and Abby would get her coat on. Then they would walk down to the bus stop to wait for Daddy.

If Daddy came quickly and by himself, there wasn't too much arguing. Just a few sharp words, bitter twists into a dying relationship before a chance to go for a ride in Daddy's new car and maybe get ice cream.

But, if Daddy was late or came with one of his new friends, there was yelling. Lots of yelling.

The last day at the bus stop, Abby couldn't forget… even though she tried.

Mummy's new friend had helped button her coat while Mummy put Jack in the pram. Mummy and her friend strolled down the sidewalk laughing and giggling. Mummy was pushing the pram, while Abby held on to the side. She was a big girl, almost seven now, but still not allowed to walk by herself near the roadway. Mummy insisted, and Daddy agreed with Mummy on this.

"Stay out of the roadway Abby," said Daddy. Abby had to hold on to the pram or hold a grown ups hand.

It started sprinkling when they got to the bus stop, so Mummy wheeled the pram into the shelter of the bus stop.

"Abby," said Mummy, "sit on the bench, next to Jack so you will be out of the rain. Watch out for your baby brother now, yeah."

Abby sat, her little legs dangling off the bench, heels swinging back and forth. The woman on the other bench looked up from her paper to regard Abby seriously. Then she smiled, brown eyes warm and friendly, a small dimple showing in her cheek.

"Abby," said the woman "is that short for Abigail?"

Not supposed to talk to strangers, thought Abby. She stared suspiciously at the woman with her big blue eyes.

"My great-great-grandmother's name was Abigail," continued the woman.

Abby heard the woman, but before she could think of whether or not to respond, she heard her father's voice. He was yelling at Mummy again. And Mummy's friend was yelling. Then the woman in Daddy's car stuck her head out of the car window and started yelling too. Daddy had parked across the street, and now he opened the car door and came over to stand right in front of Mummy… yelling every step of the way.

Mummy's friend tried to step in between them, talking loud and fast… then somehow he was rolling on the ground clutching his stomach.

Mummy and Daddy were screeching, screaming louder, pushing and shoving at each other. They stepped into the roadway.

Then, the double decker bus… screeching brakes, screaming tires on wet pavement, the driver frantically pushing on the horn… shoving into her parents…

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The woman had known it was coming, she had been briefed, thoroughly. But still, the accident was worse than the reports had indicated. Looking at the two children, she thought the toddler sleeping in the pram had the better deal. He wouldn't remember any of this. She knelt down to the little girl, reaching her arms around her to turn her away from the sight.

"Abby," she whispered, "Don't look."

Abby looked up at the woman, her big brown eyes looking so sad. "Mummy… Daddy…" she whimpered. She looked down and stared at the woman's high heeled shoes instead.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The emergency crew had taken away the bodies. And they had taken the bus driver who had collapsed, crying and carrying on, to the hospital. The constables were still taking notes from the witnesses, or trying to.

Daddy's friend was all of a sudden out of words and couldn't say anything.

Mummy's friend, on the other hand had talked an awful lot. Quick, fast words that sounded like he had offered to take the two children to their Auntie…

Abby wondered who he had meant, but it didn't happen. The woman, who stayed holding Abby with one arm wrapped around her and the other hand on Jack's pram, had turned her head to stare quite coldly at Mummy's friend. Abby thought, she might have even hissed at him. She had definitely said something that Abby hadn't heard to the young red haired constable and he was still talking angrily to Mummy's friend when the social services people came.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

No relatives to take them in, the courts had put Abby and Jack into care. They were lucky at first. The group home they were sent to allowed them to see each other, they were all the family they had now.

A few years later they were separated. Due to overcrowding in the care system, Abby was sent to live in a youth dormitory for teenage girls, while Jack was sent to live with a family in the suburbs. Seeing each other became more difficult, but Abby still tried to watch out for her baby brother.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Years later, she was still trying to watch out for her baby brother.

"Connor," she whispered "he needs a place to stay and I am his sister."


	2. The Blanket

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby remembered too much from her teenage years… even though she tried to forget.

Abby was the youngest girl in the youth dormitory when she was sent there. Not yet thirteen, she really shouldn't have been there at all. But overcrowding, you know… the care worker had muttered something about budget cuts… have to make the best of things.

It was late when she arrived and the matron sternly said it was time for bed.

"Second floor, section B," matron called out after reviewing the roster of bed assignments. "Parsons," she directed the junior matron "take her to her room, introduce her to the other girls, make sure she's got sheets and a blanket."

"What about dinner," asked Abby.

The matron looked scandalized. "It's past dinner," she huffed.

Abby looked at the steaming tea cup and plate of biscuits on the matron's desk. "What about tea?"

The matron frowned. Parsons quickly stepped forward and grabbed Abby by the wrist, "Come along now," she urged, dragging Abby out into the hallway before matron got really upset.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Parsons chattered all the way to the linen closet.

"Mustn't upset matron," she admonished Abby. Looking at the tiny girl with the big blue eyes, she continued… "mustn't upset anybody. Keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself. It's better that way."

Filling her arms with clean sheets and a blanket, she quickly turned and led Abby upstairs. Opening a wide door, she announced "New girl… everybody stand."

Five girls shambled up from their beds to stand. Parson's introduced them quickly, calling their names out as if reading a military roster. Pointing at the top, empty bunk bed along the far wall, she directed Abby to it. Then she walked to the door, turned and said "Lights out in ten," and left.

For a moment there was stillness in the room. Then, they attacked. Hands were pulling sheets, snatching at the blanket, and one large hand knocked the surprised Abby flat onto the floor. As the older girls climbed into their own beds with the extra linens, Abby got off the floor.

"And don't think you're getting any of this back," snarled the oldest girl, the owner of the large hands and now of Abby's blanket.

Abby's eyes narrowed. Watching the large girl carefully for another sign of threat, she moved across the room to her bed. The lights went out just as she climbed up onto the bare mattress.

Shivering, all alone on her perch, she thought. Breakfast was a long time away.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It took Abby three days to get her blanket back.

Walking from the dormitory to class took the girls down a flight of stairs, across a landing, then through a set of double doors to a smaller set of concrete stairs to the outside sidewalk. The doorway had an ornate metal grillwork over the front, a decorative relic from a bygone era of elegance. They returned to the dormitory the same way.

Tuesday after classes, Abby raced up the steps. She was waiting when the larger girl approached. As the girl came up the concrete stairs, Abby jumped up, grabbed the grillwork and swung her tiny legs high. Her left foot connected with the larger girls nose, the right foot hit her ear. The girl went down with a heavy thud, blood pouring from her nose, ear turning a bright red. Her mouth opened in a howl of outrage. Abby dropped down from her hold and raced to the second floor. Once in her shared room, she retook her blanket and climbed up to the relative safety of her bunk bed. She waited for the other girls to return.

The door opened and one, two, three, then four girls came into the room. The four girls were watching Abby warily. Abby watched them standing there in silence, then the next oldest girl spoke.

"She won't be back," she stated with satisfaction. "Matron and Parsons came to see what all the yelling was about. They tried to help her up, but by then she was mad and swinging her fists… caught matron right across the nose."

The other girls nodded solemnly.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In a few years, Abby was old enough to move out on her own. A bright mind had got her into uni for a bit, but expenses soon had her looking for a job. A position at the Wellington Zoo was perfect and paid enough for her to afford a flat of her own. The flat even had a spare room for Jack… if he ever came to visit. No more roomies!


	3. Good and Bad

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

As a young woman, Abby had lots of memories. Like most people, some of her memories were good, some not.

Abby's first day at the zoo was a good memory. Her boss was pleased with her easy rapport with the lizards, and treated her kindly. He listened to her suggestions on care for the reptiles. Even though she was at least twenty years his junior, he made her feel that her opinions were valued. They had a good working relationship, and she would always remember him fondly.

Her first boyfriend was not a good memory. Nor was the memory of the second boyfriend, nor the third. Her friend Edie laughed and cried with her, and shared her own stories of romance gone wrong. Boyfriend woes might not be good memories, but commiserating over chocolate ice cream with a mate was a memory she would always treasure.

She would never forget the Forest of Dean. An amazing lizard named Rex, the wonderment of a doorway to the past, the terror of a gorgonopsid, Cutter, Stephen and Connor. She would always remember that was the day her whole world changed.

Abby also remembered how hard it was to find a flat, one that she could afford and actually wanted to live in. So when Connor said, "Abby, I'm having a bit of a hassle with me flat…" she listened. It sounded like a line… but, he looked at her with those brown eyes, warm and friendly, a small dimple showing in his cheek when he smiled. She almost thought she remembered eyes like that, a smile like that.

She was never one to be wearing her heart on her sleeve, but rather kept guard of her emotions, protecting herself. So, when Jack told her he had something to tell her, something about Connor, she was careful… didn't want whatever it was said in public.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the racetrack office, Jack told her about the card games, gambling and drinking, losing Rex. Jack told her about Connor getting Rex back. And Abby remembered all the times Jack had got into trouble over the years. This was the first time Jack had ever owned up to any of the trouble being his fault. While that was a good memory, a tiny inkling that maybe… just maybe, Jack was growing up, it wasn't the best memory of that day.

"Connor, shut up."


	4. Frightful

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

Abby remembered being scared many times in her life, but she tried hard to guard her emotions, tried to never let her fear show.

Day to day life had its own unavoidable tragedies and terrors. But, working with anomalies had brought new meaning to both the words exhilaration and fear.

Creatures were frightening, but she understood, they were only doing what came naturally. Either they were scared and trying to get back home, or they were hungry. She knew they had to eat, but she would rather they ate dinner in their own time, not hers. And she certainly didn't want to be the main course.

More frightening though, were the people like Helen, Leek, Phillip, and even Danny's brother Ethan, who tried to use the anomalies for their own ends. She couldn't understand what drove them to their mad schemes.

Most frightening of all though, Abby remembered, were the times she thought she had lost Connor.

She remembered the first time she had that nightmare about Connor… oh my God, Connor… falling out of that tree, landing so still, so twisted, looking so broken. She woke up shivering, in her perch with Connor in that other tree in the Cretaceous.

"Abby," he asked her "what's wrong."

She couldn't tell him the truth… we're stuck up a tree, surrounded by dinosaurs in the Cretaceous, with no way home, and I just had a nightmare about you falling… looking like you were dead. No, she couldn't tell him that. So she had sat up and said something about being thirsty and reached into her backpack searching…

She blinked in surprise at what she found in some of the backpack pockets. Glad of the darkness hiding her blush, she pursed her lips and wondered who packed this? Finally, she located a bottle of water and an energy bar. She offered it to him first with a question.

"Connor," she asked "have you slept any yet tonight?"

"No," he admitted "thought one of us ought to keep watch."

He took a gulp of the water then handed the bottle back to her. As she took a drink from the bottle, he tore open the wrapping from the energy bar and took a big bite. The moonlight reflected even brighter in his eyes as they opened wider. His jaw froze in place, the chewing stopped. He swallowed.

"Gah!"

"Connor," she exclaimed.

"Tastes awful!" he waved the offending bar back at her, "Here, you try it."

It was awful she remembered, but it was better than a lot of things they wound up eating over the next year.

"Connor," she said "it's chilly… maybe we should huddle together for warmth…"

She watched as his eyes grew a bit brighter, his lips turned up in a small smile.

"Yeah," he said hopefully.

"Yeah," she replied as she crawled across the treetop towards him. Snuggling down with her head on his chest, she fell fast asleep. No more nightmares that night.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

But today, Connor's words brought a new level of terror to Abby.

He looked at her with a grin as he closed his cell phone, "Mum will be up next week to visit. She wants to see our new home."


End file.
